1. Field
One or more exemplary embodiments relate to a program recommendation device that recommends a program which is broadcast via broadcast waves and desired to be watched by a user, and a method for recommending a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Televisions that receive broadcast waves and/or digital versatile disk (DVD) players that record received programs have been known to search for a program desired to be watched by a user, such as, for example, by using an electronic program list. In general, an electronic program list includes detailed program information, such as titles, genres, and/or content of programs.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device which is configured for searching for programs related to a program which a user desires to record. When a user inputs a search term, such as, for example, a title of a program which the user desires to record, the device searches program information included in an electronic program list by using the search term and extracts programs matching the search term and related programs thereof.
According to such searches which are based on the search term designated by the user, programs having different content from the user's intention may be extracted as a search result, because words and phrases including the search term or similar to the search term are contained in the program information. For example, when a search is performed using “Kyoto” as a search term, programs having program information which includes words and phrases such as, for example, “Tokyoto (Tokyo Metropolis)”, “Shokyoto (small Kyoto)”, and the like, are extracted as a search result. In particular, the search result may include words and phrases obtained by a forward match search and/or a backward match search, in addition to those exactly matching the search term. Thus, the search results may include both desired programs and undesired programs, thereby considerably reducing the accuracy of the search.
The accuracy reduction of the search may be prevented by dividing words and phrases contained in the program information based on parts of speech, and more particularly, by carrying out a language analyzing process, e.g., a Japanese analyzing process, for example, by carrying out a morphological analysis, and then searching for programs by using a search term designated by the user.